US Open 2019, Title Still Eludes Brilliant Madison Keys

September 8, 2019,

Since 2015, there have been 9 different women’s Grand Slam champions other than the reigning queen, Serena Williams.

None of their names are Madison Keys. At least not yet.

We say yet because Madison certainly has the tennis skillsets to get it done. Talk about a gorgeous matinee idol. But will she get it done anytime soon? Like really soon. Perhaps at this year’s 2019 US Open?

As of this August 29, 2019 writing she is red hot and surging with a very intriguing style of play.

At this 2019 Open, thus far in her victories over Misaki Doi in the first round 7-5, 6-0 and Lin Zhu 6-4, 6-1 in the second are showing an early pattern. Madison gets off to a slow start, settles down and then steam rolls her opponents.

When Madison does finally come into her own, she is incredibly impressive and has the commentators and probably players too, wondering if this could be her time.

We hope so. Thus far, she’s been down a scenic and memorable road to grab our attention that she is a contender.

For us it all started at the 2016 US Open when she met a then relatively unknown but very talented 18 year old named Naomi Osaka who led 5-1 in the third set, after splitting the first two, then had a monumental collapse that saw Madison recover from her slow start and surge on to victory 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 to complete her comeback and reduce the teenager and future two time Grand Slam champion to tears.

We were in tears as well.

Given how Madison is playing now, her fans are now shedding tears of joy.

On August 18, 2019 Madison won the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament in Cincinnati by defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 7-6.

The Rock Island, Illinois native Keys defeated four Grand Slam champions in Ms. Kuznetsova, Garbine Muguruza, Simona Halep and Venus Williams on her way to lifting the championship trophy.

It shows what many knew that she was always capable of. Now if she could just keep it up. Even here, she often got off to a slow start but finished strong.

Madison overcame early deficits in the first and second sets to defeat the Russian star.

Sound familiar?

The similarities between the first and second sets were uncomfortably eerie. In both sets, Svetlana achieved an early break point off Madison and appeared to be in complete control.

Then Madison forged a comeback.

Will she have that luxury on arguably the largest stage in women’s tennis? Can she keep getting off to a slow start, surge from behind and survive to see another Flushing Meadows hard court day?

Her big test would come against Sofia Kenin in the third round.

Sofia is an American professional tennis player with a career-high WTA ranking of Number 20 in the world. Ms. Kenin has won two WTA singles titles as well as one in doubles.

Most important, coming into the Open she was red hot. It motivated us to feature her.

USA’s Sofia Kenin, Blazing Star From Russia We Love

One of the notches on Sofia’s resume is defeating the often unbeatable Serena Williams. Serena Williams quest for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam win was put on hold after she lost in the Round of 32 at the French Open to Sofia.

In terms of the 2019 Open verses Madison, the New York Post reported, “Madison Keys even needed a medical timeout midway through the second set. But the illness — and No. 20 Sofia Kenin — wouldn’t stop the 10th-seeded American from earning a fifth straight fourth-round berth at the U.S. Open.

Keys responded after getting seen by a doctor by winning four of the next five games to prevail, 6-3, 7-5, at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday night advance to a Round of 16 meeting with fifth-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.”

What ailed Madison is unknown. As she expressed, she decided not to share the gory details. She paid attention to the most important detail which was to dispatch of Sofia in two set and not remotely take a chance that it would go to three.

Up next would be another red hot star in Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.

Ms. Svitolina has won 13 WTA singles titles, her most significant coming at the 2018 WTA Finals, winning three of five Premier 5-level tournaments in 2017, namely the Dubai Tennis Championships, the Italian Open, and the Canadian Open. At the 2015 French Open, she reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal where she was defeated by former champion Ana Ivanovic.

In February 2017, after winning the title in Dubai, Svitolina made history by becoming the first Ukrainian woman to break into the top 10 rankings.

She has been a giant killer before.

In her career, Svitolina has scored victories over top players like Grand Slam champions Ana Ivanovic, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Angelique Kerber, Garbiñe Muguruza, Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep, Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitová, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Francesca Schiavone, Flavia Pennetta and Sloane Stephens.

Madison Keys was not on that list.

She is now.

Madison Keys will not win the 2019 US Open.

As shared by tennisworldusa.org on September 2, 2019, “After reaching the fourth round in the previous two trips to New York, Elina Svitolina has shifted her game into a higher gear at this year’s campaign, advancing into the first quarter-final at the US Open. On Sunday night, Elina took down Madison Keys 7-5, 6-4 in swift an hour and 15 minutes after a rock-solid performance, one of the best of the season.”

Madison’s quest for her first Grand Slam title was not to be. This is a testament to the power of the Slams. Not only do you have to defeat the best of the world, avoid injuries but you also have to feel well and keep your health through two weeks.

Even a slight fall off will most likely speed up your exit.

In Madison’s case, 40 unforced errors against a supreme talent like Elina will seal your fate.